


Legendary - Legend

by PKofLight



Series: Linked Universe - Legendary Works [4]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: All Parts of Four Show Up Again, And He Didn't Exactly Say Anything, Gen, Immediately Regrets It, Legend Has Some Issues With Ships, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-26 21:32:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18725392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PKofLight/pseuds/PKofLight
Summary: The words meant nothing to him. He didn't even hear them. What he heard was the rolling thunder, getting far too close. What he felt was the rain beginning to pelt down on them as the ship neared the storm. What he feared was the lightning coursing throughout his body as he plummeted into the water, passing out. What he feared was waking on an island, to a girl with red hair. To wake up in the water after all was said and done, and learning that all eight of them had been nothing but a lie the entire time.Stranded. In the water. He was stranded all over again.





	Legendary - Legend

This was _stupid_.

The new Hyrule they found themselves in this time wasn't really like any other Hyrule they'd seen before. When they had arrived, they'd been on a single, lone island with a small vacation home that the Hero of the Wind had recognized nearly right away. Within moments, he had allowed them inside, treated them to some things he had kept in there, and eventually hauled out a large ship, able to fit all of them.

“There's no getting around the Great Sea without one,” he mentioned to all of them as he prepared the sail. “And with so many, we'll need to be very careful! I'm so excited to introduce you all to Aryll and Grandma!” He was giddy, excited, and practically bouncing around as he wandered around the island.

The Hero of Legend, however, was not excited at all, as he crossed his arms and put a wall up around him. He stared, eyes wide and stern, at the boat that the Hero of Wind was preparing for the long haul out to Outset Island. He could smell the air, the salt, the storm on its way, feel the electricity as it pulsed through him, the sand under his nails and in his lungs--

... _No._ Best not to think of that, he decided, as he turned away, a scowl on his face. He tightened his hands around his arms, hard enough that his nails dug in through the cloth. He might be able to talk them out of it. Maybe make them wait...

He turned back to them, ready to say something, when he noticed that the Heroes of Time and the Wilds were looking at him oddly. The Hero of Time turned to the Hero of Twilight and said something that he didn't catch, which only added to his confusion. It was enough that he scoffed and turned away, deciding to instead quietly sulk and brood in private by the pool that for some reason was on the island.

“How did you get an entire island to yourself?” he heard the Hero of the Four Sword openly ask. He looked up to see him helping the Hero of the Wind load of supplies on the boat.

“I got the deed off of the schoolteacher on Windfall Island,” explained the youngest, with the brightest smile on his face. “She doesn't use it anymore, and I guess she figured that I'd get some use out of it. I do! Tetra even uses it as a stop and for some storage for the crew.”

The Hero of the Sky put a smile on as well. “So, now it's a pirate hideout.”

“Yep!”

 _And an omen of tragedy,_ the Hero of Legend decided snidely. “Do we have to leave _tonight_...?” His tone came out more strained that he intended, as he looked out to the vast expanse of nothing but – _danger, death, dreams and pulsing –_ salt water.

“Vet, it's like... noon,” scoffed the Hero of Warriors. “I think that it's a little too early to want to clock in for the day, don't you?” He laughed as he moved to help the Hero of the Wind as well, helping him with some netting and a couple extra sail cloths. “Besides, aren't you as excited as we are to finally meet this sister Beach Boy keeps talking about?”

“... I...”

They were all met with a sudden worried expression on the Hero of the Wind's face. “Wait... Are... are you saying you _don't_ want to meet Aryll, Vet?” The heartbreak was evident all over him, from his posture, to the tone that he had used.

The Hero of Legend found himself wincing. “No, I... I do.”

“Then get up and help,” the Hero of Warriors chided, and the Hero of Legend found himself sighing and moving to stand.

He was stiff. He didn't want anything to do with this boat, or this sea. He didn't want anything to do with this version of Hyrule at all. He just wanted to stay on this island, and not go anywhere. That boat spelled out a death trap to him. Even if he didn't die, it was going to be the hardest several days of his life.

The ship that the Hero of the Wind was decking out for travel was bigger than he had imagined the small boy to have. It almost seemed to be a small version of an actual full-sized ship, with four large masts that he was now unfurling sails on. The Hero of Legend could feel the heavy weight as he was handed some supplies to bring on board. He tried to mask the pain and anxiety that he felt, everything that he didn't like about this plan had to stay in.

By two, they had finished setting up the ship, and the Hero of the Wind had the sails all tied and ready to go. Everyone boarded, and soon, the boy was at the helm and steering them towards his home. The Hero of the Sky was gazing out at the ocean in awe, as the Hero of the Wilds held back the urge to climb up the masts, and the Heroes of Twilight and Time attempted to reel him in. The Hero of the Four Sword was situated by the Hero of the Wind alongside the Hero of Warriors, as the two conversed with him about the island they were heading to.

The Hero of Legend had found himself pressed tightly against the wall by the door that led inside. His arms were crossed, his hands tight against them with his fingernails digging in, He was rigid, his eyes blank and staring down at the wood that made up the floor. To the others, he must've seemed as angry as could be that he didn't get his way.

To the Hero of Hyrule, however, it was a sign that there was something that he wasn't telling them.

As the day dragged on, and the ship continued to move along the water, the Hero of Legend could feel his heart begin to race at every shift and movement, every creak that the wood made as the water moved it around. He dragged himself down the wall to a curled up position, moving his hands so they were raked through his hair. He couldn't do this. He couldn't be here, on this ship, in this water, and out in the open. He had to hide, he had to be anywhere but here-

“... Vet...?” began a quiet voice.

The Hero of Legend looked up, greeted with the kind face of the Hero of Hyrule. “... What...?”

His response was the confused and concerned expression on the Hero of Hyrule's face. “... Is... Is everything alright? The Champion made some food, and called it out, but...”

Though his stomach was empty, the Hero of Legend scoffed and looked away. “I'm fine, I don't need anything.” He just wanted to stay there, away from the edge, away from the water, away from _everything._ “You guys go eat... I'll be over here.”

It didn't seem like the Hero of Hyrule believed him, but he was grateful when he finally just sighed and turned back to the others. He could hear the distant sounds of chatter as the other Hero relayed that he wasn't joining them. The Hero of Legend looked up enough to see the disappointment in the Hero of the Wilds' face, as he looked down at the food he'd made like it wasn't good enough. The Hero of Time, meanwhile, turned to look at him directly, as if judging his every moment.

He probably looked pathetic, he realized, as he was curled up against the wall as if it were a shield. But it was. He could sense it coming. They were doomed. Couldn't they see...? It was going to end the same, just as it did last time he'd been on a ship much like this. He'd wake up in the water, on nothing but a broken piece of mast, and they'd all be gone.

 _Gone_.

Dinner was eaten by the others, and they all moved back to their posts, some giving him concerned looks as they stepped by him. The Hero of the Wind simply rushed up to the helm once more, ready to continue the long sail.

The Hero of Time approached, and sat down next to the crumbled form of the Hero of Legend. “We missed you at dinner.”

“... That's nice,” replied the Hero of Legend.

A scoff was his response, as the Hero of Time gave him a critical look. “Something is bothering you. What is it? You know you can talk to me about anything.” He turned back so he was facing the others, including the still upset Hero of the Wilds. “You upset the Champion, you know. He doubted the food throughout the entire meal. Surely you must be hungry, we had a small breakfast, and you didn't eat much lunch.”

The Hero of Legend hid his face in his arms. “I'm fine, old man. Just leave me be.”

“How can I do that, when you've refused to eat, and haven't moved from being pressed against the wall like everything out here will try to kill you?” The Hero of Time's face had been stern, and then suddenly, stretched into realization. “You...”

“Don't. Just... don't.” Anything else that the Hero of Legend had wanted to say immediately froze, at the sound of distant thunder. Rolling, in the distance – close, even, from the sounds of it. There was no rain yet, but by the Goddess... he knew there would be. “D-don't.”

Now faced with the sight of the Hero of Legend having his head hidden under his arms, shaking mildly, the Hero of Time stood, turning to the others who had noticed. The Hero of the Wilds appeared very concerned, and the Heroes of Twilight and the Four Sword blinked in astonishment.

“Is... everything okay?” asked the Hero of the Four Sword.

“Leave him be for now,” the Hero of Time said with a sigh. “I don't think he's going to snap out of this.”

“We have other problems, anyways,” chimed in the Hero of the Wind from the helm. “We've got a storm coming in, starboard.” When the others gave him an odd look. He sighed. “That's to the right. Don't you see that big black cloud?”

The Hero of the Four Sword turned, and paled. “... Now I do.”

The Hero of Legend's heart plummeted into his empty stomach. They were all going to die, he knew it. It was happening all over again. “... This... This can't, not again...”

“What will you have us do?” asked the Hero of Twilight.

“Furl three of the sails, keep the main mast out. We'll need it to steer. Tie down anything that's not nailed to the ship. I'll stay at the helm,” stated the Master Pirate. “Hold on to each other and cling to anything that won't move. I got this. I've sailed through worse, and on smaller.”

Oddly enough, the young boy's bravery and complete confidence of the storm made the Hero of Legend look up ever so slightly, just in time to see everyone working at what he had said. The Hero of Hyrule rushed up beside him, and helped him up.

“Come on,” he said. “You can't stay there.”

“I can, thanks, and I wanted to.” His voice was shaky, his body moving on its own as the Hero of Hyrule tried to drag him over to where the others were struggling to tie things down. “I don't exactly want to-”

“Stop,” the Hero of Time snapped. “Stop, now. We need you at your best.”

“Leeward, starboard-bow!” called out the Hero of the Wind.

“What?” asked the Hero of the Four Sword.”

The Hero of Legend sighed. “The storm is coming in, front of the ship, to the right, against the wind.”

There was a moment where all the others turned to stare at him. He realized then that he had never told them about having ever been on a ship before, and was beginning to regret it. Maybe he should have brought this all up sooner; maybe then, he would have been left behind, and they could have gone through this journey without him. He was useless on the ship. He knew it. But they hadn't, yet.

“I guess we're basically going straight for it,” the Hero of Twilight paraphrased after the shock had worn off, as he tugged at some of the bindings he'd created. “Great. Wonderful.”

“Please stay with us,” the Hero of Hyrule pleaded. “You can translate what he says.”

The ship began to lurch along with the waves the closer they got to the storm. The rolling thunder gathered his attention, spiked his fear, and caused his heart to pound. His empty stomach threatened to send some bile up to his mouth. “I can't. I can't.”

“You can, you just don't want to,” the Hero of Warriors snapped from his side. “Just like you didn't want to go see Aryll in the first place!”

“No, that's not-”

“Look at me, Vet! You're the veteran here, you've been through the most adventures. We look to you for guidance, too, you _asshole_!” the Hero of Warriors said in the angriest tone that the others had ever heard him use. “And you don't even want to go to see Beach Boy's little sister. Or even help around on the ship! We need you, right now! _Right now._ Beach Boy is a pirate, he speaks in ship slang! _You_ understood what he just said!”

The words meant nothing to him. He didn't even hear them. What he heard was the rolling thunder, getting far too close. What he felt was the rain beginning to pelt down on them as the ship neared the storm. What he feared was the lightning coursing throughout his body as he plummeted into the water, passing out. What he feared was waking on an island, to a girl with red hair. To wake up in the water after all was said and done, and learning that all eight of them had been nothing but a lie the entire time.

Stranded. In the water. He was stranded all over again.

It had been a miracle he awoke at all. A miracle that he was discovered four days in by a passing by ship that had been on its way to Hyrule. A miracle that he had been returned to his Zelda in one piece, and not killed. The fear and realization that she had nearly lost him, and likely would again because of who and what he was, was the truth that drew the decision to never tell her of their relation. He'd sit on that for the rest of his life if he had to. Take it to his grave as his uncle nearly did, the only thing stopping him being the regret.

“Vet...?” asked the Hero of Hyrule.

“I can't,” the Hero of Legend blankly replied as he crumbled to the ground. “I can't do this, not again.”

“ _Shit_ ,” the Hero of Twilight cursed. “He's been through something like this before, hasn't he?”

“I suspected as much,” the Hero of Time sighed, working on edging closer to the Hero of Legend. “Everyone, work as the pike tells you, as best as you can understand. Leeward means against the wind. Starboard, right. Bow, front. Let's go. Keep an eye on each other and don't let anyone fall off.”

“All hands on deck!” called out the Hero of the Wind.

The storm raged around them. The wind twisted and curled from all sides, the rain coming at them like arrows from the bows of Blins. The ship struggled through the waves, rose up and down in sharp actions. Everyone gave out yells as the ship dangerously moved to near vertical, but the Hero of the Wind remained vigilant at the helm.

“Captain!” he called out, “Farmer! I need more muscle here!”

Swiftly, both Heroes that he called out for rushed up to aid him in steering the helm, both without question. The Hero of Time remained at the side of the Hero of Legend, who was pale as a sheet, trembling, and clinging to the ropes. He couldn't see his face, as the Hero had folded in on himself in his fear. He felt terrible for that moment, horribly used to the over confident, reliable and experienced adventurer that they'd all grown to care for. He shared a look with the nearby Hero of the Sky, and both of them resolved to keep him close and keep him safe.

“Take hold of the main sail!” the Hero of the Wind called out. “We need to steer into that large wave! Otherwise, we'll capsize!”

“That sounds like a load of bull!” replied the Hero of Hyrule.

“It's not,” muttered the Hero of Legend, then, as he looked up a little. “He's not lying to you, he's _right_ , just do what he says, sprite.” The sound of his voice, sudden, and not expected considering his current position and extremely pale complexion, caused the others around him to turn in surprise. “Do it.”

“Right,” the Hero of the Four Sword decided, pulling out his sword. In moments, instead of one boy, there were four, and they rushed up to take hold of one of the ropes, just as the Hero of Hyrule did at the Hero of Legend's command.

The Hero of the Sky put a reassuring hand on the Hero of Legend's shoulder. “I'm off to help.” He then bolted forward, grabbing hold of the same rope as the Heroes of Hyrule and the Hero of the Wilds.

“Port toward the wave!” called out the Hero of the Wind.

“Which way's port?!” screamed out the blue Hero of the Four Sword.

The Hero of Time glanced down to the Hero of Legend. “Left?” he asked. At the weak nod, he redirected his attention to the others. “Left!”

All together, the different versions of the Hero of the Four Sword, alongside the Heroes of the Sky, the Wilds, and Hyrule, yanked their ropes and tugged at the sail, causing it to shift. The ship reacted to the change, and swerved toward the wave, allowing it to move throughout the storm. The Hero of the Wind called out a different direction, and all seven reacted accordingly, The Hero of Time kept a tight grip on the Hero of Legend, who stiffened with each dangerous shift and rock.

All the while, the rain came showering down on all of them, the lightning flashing all around.

“What now?!” called out the green Hero of the Four Sword. “Which way?!” The Hero of Time turned, and realized to his horror that all four boys were having difficulty with their rope. Each strained and were trembling with effort, nearly stepping on each other and giving each other encouragement in holding on. In comparison, the three completely grown men on the other side were not having as much trouble to keep hold of their rope.

“Master Pirate!” called out the violet one in an attempt to get an answer.

“We need to go whichever way is South!” The Hero of Wind had his telescope out, clearly trying to find a way out of the storm. “Outset is to the south! We need to steer out that way!” He nearly dropped it and quickly put it away in order to assist the Heroes of Warriors and Twilight with the helm some more. “We need to figure that out first!”

“Alright...” muttered the blue Hero of the Four Sword as he tugged harder on the rope to help his brothers in moving the sail. “And which way is fucking South?!”

“Language, Blue Master Smithy...!” stressed the Hero of the Sky.

“I can't get to my compass!” the Hero of the Wind admitted loudly as he tried to steer the ship. “Someone else will have to do it and tell me!”  
  
“Yeah, kinda have other priorities!” the Hero of Warriors agreed as he and the Hero of Twilight tried to keep the helm steady for the youngest. “Old man! Please tell me you got one!”

The Hero of Time paused as he began to consider his inventory.

However, he didn't have much time to dwell on it. The Heroes of the Four Sword suddenly cried out, and everyone froze at the sight of the rope escaping all four sets of hands. The red one nearly fell over and onto the floor, but was luckily caught by the violet one. The blue and green ones attempted to catch the rope as it flailed away, however, it was lost to the wind.

“What do we do?!” asked the red Hero of the Four Sword.

“Hold on!” called out the Hero of the Wilds. “We'll get to you!”

“Veteran,” began the Hero of Time, and the Hero of Legend looked up at him with wide, haunted eyes. “I'm going to go help the forms of Master Smithy. Will you be okay?” When he was met with silence, he decided to continue. “We need the main sail, correct? They lost their rope, and I'm going help them get it.”

“... The kid said his island is to the South... right?” muttered the Hero of Legend. “We need a compass.”

“Don't dwell on it,” the Hero of Time said, as he began to make sure that the Hero of Legend was secure. “Stay calm. You have us to help you through it this time. We will figure it out.”

And with that, the Hero of Time left him there, tied to the side of the ship, to help the four small boys recover a rope for the main sail. That left the Hero of Legend, left there staring out at his friends, all of them, struggling to move the ship through the rain, storm and the waves. The lightning flashing all around him. The lightning coursing through him.

His thoughts.

That's all they were, right...? Memories haunting him through fears he had gained. Once upon a time, he had been in this very situation. However, that time, he had been alone. Horribly alone, all by himself, up a mast and trying to furl a sail by himself, in a storm. He'd capsized then. Found himself in a dream. Met Marin. Woke a giant, winged whale. Killed Marin. Was taken home to Hyrule and promised to never attach himself to anyone else either again.

... Lied to his own sister. Promised to himself never to tell her what he was to her. If she didn't know, it was better for both of them, especially after four adventures. Then he'd met Ravio. Had another adventure. A _fifth_ adventure, as if Koholint had not been enough of an ending for him. And now here he was, with brothers he was letting down. All because... he couldn't face his own fears.

Ravio faced his when he'd crossed worlds to find a Hero to save Lorule. Why couldn't he do that, to help them?

 _It's like he wasn't a famed hero of legend, or something,_ he thought bitterly, as he weakly reached down and pulled out his own compass from his tunic. He stared at it, fighting to see it through the rain, trying to determine which way they needed to. He watched the needle, waiting for it to settle, and then...

“Pirate!” he called out over the storm. Instantly, he saw that he had the Hero of the Wind's attention. “Pirate, South, starboard!”

“Man the sails!” the Hero of the Wind immediately directed. “We need to go starboard! Now!”

“Starboard!” the others called out, alongside a few calls of “That's _right_ , right?! Right?!” from a couple of the forms of the Hero of the Four Sword.

It seemed, in the midst of his internal dilemma, the Hero of Time had helped the Heroes of the Four Sword get a handle on their sail, the Hero of the Wilds rushing over to help. Well, it was time for him to help, too. He put his compass around his neck, and stood up, walked, and reached out. From behind the Hero of Hyrule, he had grabbed part of the rope, and began to help the Heroes of Hyrule and the Sky.

“Vet?!” exclaimed the Hero of Hyrule, “But, I thought you were-?!”

“I'm fine,” the Hero of Legend stressed. “I'm fine, now. Sorry about losing my head.” He was met with kind smiles from both the Heroes of Hyrule and the Sky, to which he offered a weak one of his own.

“Easy on the mast!” the Hero of the Wind called out, and each of them attempted to slacken their efforts. “Easy...! Easy...!” The ship lurched and yielded to their commands. “Come on! You guys are doing great! Just a little further!”

“Feels a lot longer than that!” cried out the green Hero of the Four Sword.

“Less talking, more yanking the rope, dummy!” answered the blue one.

“Guys! No! Fighting!” the red one cried out. “Kinda! Busy!”

The only sound from the violet one was a long, exaggerated, long-suffering groan.

“Don't worry about it, boys, you have us to help you,” the Hero of Time stressed, as he and the Hero of the Wilds worked to alleviate the strain from the four of them.

It felt like ages as they pulled and steered the ship through the storm. As they rocked, teetered on the brink of capsizing, or nearly were struck with a large wave. One moment, they were each clinging to each other, praying to Hylia herself, and the next, the waves began to cease, the rain was merely a nuisance, the lightning had stopped... and the storm had passed.

The ship rocked for a moment in the water, as everyone paused in realization. The four Heroes of the Four Sword collapsed on their knees or behinds, as the Hero of Time glanced around him in awe. The Hero of the Wilds put his hands to his hips, a proud smile on his face. The three Heroes at the helm took deep sighs of relief as the Heroes of Warriors and Twilight stepped back to let the Hero of the Wind take over once more. The Hero of the Sky held out his arms in appreciation for the sun peeking out through the dispersing clouds, and the Hero of Hyrule gave a smile, and put a hand to the Hero of Legend's shoulder.

“... Hey, we're so proud of you,” he told him. “You faced one of your demons, and you looked it in the eye, and basically told it off.”

“N-no I didn't,” the Hero of Legend scoffed. “I froze and had a panic attack. I was barely able to help.” He looked down at his compass, almost disgusted with himself. “I... I wasn't any help at all. You all turned to me and I couldn't be reliable.”

“But you were,” the Hero of Hyrule assured him. “You translated all that weird sailor stuff. You got your compass out when the old man couldn't.”

The Hero of Legend wasn't too sure. He still wanted to curl up in some corner of the ship and never move again. Especially once he noticed they were still rocking. Suddenly, he lurched, and rushed to the side of the ship, sticking his head over the edge. The Hero of Hyrule winced as he was greeted with the sound of dry-heaving.

“Is he okay?” asked the red Hero of the Four Sword, from where he was sitting cross-legged. “He looked really pale, earlier.”

“He's been capsized before,” the Hero of Time explained. “It's likely a lot for him right now to be on a boat again. Let alone one that was in a storm, likely similar to the one that took out his own ship before.” He sighed as the Hero of the Sky approached the Hero of Legend to rub at his back. “We should get moving.”

“Let's unfurl the sails now that we're out of the storm,” the Hero of the Wind said with a bright smile. “Outset awaits!”

The Hero of Warriors, feeling particularly like a jerk, approached the Hero of Legend as he turned and collapsed onto the floor, green in the face. “... Hey. You take a break, okay? I'm sorry about before. Uh... I didn't...”

“I never told any of you,” the Hero of Legend managed to croak out.

“Maybe try not to talk,” the violet Hero of the Four Sword stated calmly. “We'll take over from here.” His brothers all nodded in agreement, each moving to stand to help get the rest of the sails back down.

“You need to rest, Mister Veteran,” added the red one as he walked by, the softest smile on his face.

The Hero of Legend stayed there on the side of the deck, leaning against railing of the ship, pale and with sweat coming down his face. He watched as the others worked to get the ship ready for more sailing, finding himself still crossing his arms and holding onto them tightly. Once the sails were set, he was joined by the Hero of Time, who gave him a soft expression.

“... What...?” he found himself asking. “There isn't anything to tell you.”

“You can start with why you had a panic attack,” the Hero of Time countered. “Everyone's safety is my priority, and we nearly lost you to your memories. I think we have the right to know why.”

Just as the Hero of Legend was about to retort that it _wasn't_ any of their business, he paused. They had all been worried. They had to pick up his slack. The Hero of Warriors had even yelled at him. “... My fourth adventure. I was on a ship in a storm just like that out on the ocean. Except... I was struck by lightning. Capsized. The whole nine yards.”

Something shown in the Hero of Time's eye then, something that the Hero of Legend wasn't able to place. “... You were _struck_ by _lightning_?”

That caused the others to pause, and stare. The Hero of Legend winced. “Does it really matter? Yeah, I was struck by lightning.” He scoffed, and looked down. “I was struck by lightning and woke up alone, floating on a broken piece of wood. I was stuck on it for four days before I got found.”

The looks of concern turned to horror, and the Hero of Legend realized he'd said too much.

“... You're joking,” the blue Hero of the Four Sword decided. “You gotta be.”

“It was the _middle of the ocean_ , Blue,” snapped the violet Hero of the Four Sword. “He's actually lucky he got found at all, let alone by people who were able to bring him back to Hyrule.”

The red one gave a whimper while the green one winced.

“It certainly explains a lot about what just happened...” was the Hero of the Wilds' contribution. “He froze at the sound of thunder earlier, and he's been pale ever since the storm struck.” And then he blinked, and realization hit his face. “... And... didn't want to go on the ship in the first place. He didn't eat. He's barely relaxed.” Now he just looked guilty. “... Oh. I... I should have noticed.”

“It's fine,” the Hero of Twilight assured him. “He didn't exactly tell us anything and just bit his tongue. Like an idiot.”

“Rub it in,” the Hero of Legend droned in a dry tone. “That's fine. Add salt and all that.”

The Hero of Time sighed and clapped a hand onto the Hero of Legend's shoulder. “Look. When you _ever_ have an issue with something, you tell us. Especially if it leads to something like this. And I expect it from all of you. You locked up on us and we were all worried.”

“Reminded me a little too much of what happened when Master Smithy first divided in front of all of us,” added the Hero of the Sky. His response were sheepish looks from all four boys. “I'm just... I'm just glad you were able to face it after all.”

“Don't expect me to do it again,” the Hero of Legend stated, with a small, rather cocky grin.

It was enough of a snide remark that the others all gave smiles of their own. The moment lightened up, the others were able to relax and wind down from the storm, and dry off. The Hero of the Wilds attempted to get the Hero of Legend to eat something again, but his stomach was still not recovered from the storm to really be able to keep anything down.

Then, the moment was disturbed, with the cheerful cry of, “Land ho!”

“Land ho?” asked the blue Hero of the Four Sword

The Hero of Legend gave a weak smile. “... He means we made it.”

And so they had, as the two joined islands that made up Outset Island came into view before them. The Hero of the Wind expertly docked the ship and prepared to allow the others to disembark, as a small girl with blond hair began to rush up the dock with clear excitement, joined by a flock of what had to be nearly a dozen seagulls.

“Big Brother!! Big Brother!!”

The Hero of the Wind nearly hopped off the ship, practically crashing down on the pier and holding out his arms. The girl, likely Aryll, impacted with him, and the group of Links was treated to the sight of the Hero of the Wind dancing around the pier with the girl in his arms. He swung her around cheerfully, to which she gave shrieks of happiness, exclaiming that it was the best day ever simply due to him visiting.

“Where have you been? What kind of things have you seen?” Aryll asked excitedly.

“One thing at a time, Aryll,” the Hero of the Wind stated with a bright smile. “I have to introduce to some friends of mine.” He put her down, and gestured toward the group behind him. “Meet my friends!”

The Hero of Warriors stepped up first. “You must be Aryll. Your brother has told me so much about you! You can call me Captain, pretty much everyone else does.” He held out a hand, which she took eagerly, and shook it gently.

From there, introductions went relatively similar, with each offering various silly nicknames as opposed to their true name of “Link”. The four exceptions were, of course, the four pieces of the Hero of the Four Sword, which gave colours as their names. Aryll giggled each time and greeted each with a smile and a “Nice to meet you!”, before turning back to her brother once the introductions were all done. With a bright smile, she said, “Grandma will want to meet them, too. She's even made your favourite soup today, and there's extra!”

“We could really use it after the ride here,” the Hero of the Wind told his sister with a little laugh. “We wound up right in a storm.”

“Then Elixir Soup will hit the spot!” Aryll decided. She turned to the others, and waved them toward a house by the beach. “Come on! This way! Grandma will love to meet you!” With that, she and the Hero of the Wind raced off.

“Well, you can see the excitement is a family trait,” the Hero of Hyrule commented as they moved to follow.

When they stepped into the home of the Hero of the Wind, they were greeted with a short, elderly woman that practically whisked all of them away to a table, already putting down bowls of soup for each of them. Aryll gave a small giggle as she sat herself next to her brother. Legend stared his soup down with a mild concern, his empty stomach still turning from the waves.

“Now, now, all you boys can call me Grandma,” she greeted as she took one stern look to the Hero of Legend's pale face and dumped an extra ladle full in his bowl. “Link and Aryll told me that you were going to be guests tonight. You poor dears, having to go through a storm.”

“We thank you for your hospitality, ma'am,” began the Hero of Hyrule, but one stern look from their grandmother, he quickly backpedalled. “Er... Grandma.”

She gave them all soft smiles, and sat down at the head of the table. “Now, now. All of you eat up. You've had a rough day and it's time to get some rest.”

Most of them did not need to be told twice. The Hero of Legend hesitated at first, but the low rumble of his stomach eventually caused him to relent. He ignored the mild sigh of relief from the Hero next to him, finding the taste quite pleasant despite the flavour that had been sitting his mouth since the storm had ended.

“Y'know,” began the Hero of Warriors, “when you said her soup was good, I didn't think it was like... _that_ good.”

“I didn't say it was _good_ , Captain, I said it was the best soup ever and no one makes soup better than her,” the Hero of the Wind corrected instantly, his bowl already downed and his spoon placed neatly beside it. “I mean, Champion is good, but Grandma is better.”

The Hero of Legend had to admit, the soup was good. He could feel it warming up his insides, even relaxing his muscles and calming him down after the brush with the storm. His stomach stopped hurting from the hunger and the dry heaving from earlier, and he sighed as he finished off his extra helping and pushed the bowl away. He was not the last to finish, mostly thanks to the four Heroes of the Four Sword arguing over who's spoon was who's.

“Now, now,” Grandma had cut in. “There is enough spoons for everyone.”

Aryll was no longer able to hold back, as she excitedly stood up. “How did you all meet Big Brother? You have to have met on one of your adventures, right? Where did you go this time?”

“To a faraway place,” the Hero of the Wind said cheerfully. “They're all from other, distnat lands. Really cool places, even! Big, huge islands, they are! You can't even see the sea from the middle!”

“Really?!” Aryll exclaimed out of surprise. “That's such a huge island!” Immediately, all the other Links decided that she was absolutely precious and in need of protection.

Grandma had sat down in her chair with a small cup of tea, watching the exchange with a soft smile. “I have heard tales of lands such as that, old legends that speak of boys in green, swords of magic, and shields of power.” She took a sip, and her smile no longer seemed so soft. “... Link. You be careful on this one... All of you.”

All of them froze.

Aryll tilted her head. “... Grandma?”

“Oh, don't mind me, dear, just the ramblings of an old woman.” She gave a smile and hopped off her chair, heading over to the loft. “Now, there is quite a few of you, but I do believe we have room for all of you over here to stay a few nights. I'm sure you could use a good rest from your questing.”

“Thank you... Grandma,” said the Hero of Time hesitantly. “It means a lot to us that you're willing to have us.”

“Oh, nonsense. The one in the blue hat looks like he's a brush away from death,” she snidely remarked, with a tone that they did not think was possible. “Besides, I need to make sure all of you are safe, you are travelling with my grandson, after all. And it would not do if you all worry your grandmother.”

“No repeat of that, please,” the Hero of the Wind chimed.

The Hero of Legend merely looked down at the ground. “I can't be _that_ bad.”

“You're pale as a sheet,” snapped the violet Hero of the Four Sword. “You've been pale as a sheet since we boarded the ship.”

Grandma gave a soft smile and gave them all quite an odd, yet unquestioning stare. “Now. Time for bed, all of you. You need it.” She whisked them all away to lay out their bedrolls, to get changed into pyjamas, and even to brush their teeth and their hair. Then, she wished them all good night, and let Aryll snuggle in with her brother on the floor in a bedroll of her own.

The Hero of Legend was wide awake, but knew if he tried to read, he'd be chastised. Still, he found himself incredibly relaxed as he heard the Hero of the Wind's grandmother give a little hum of a lullaby as she tucked herself into bed nearby. Despite all that had happened throughout the day, he found himself able to fall asleep.

... Maybe he would tell Zelda after all, once he returned again back to her side...

 


End file.
